Welcome to your Creative Media Production course

Welcome to BA (Hons) Creative Media Production at Staffordshire University.

You are joining our vibrant and dedicated community of creative students, alumni, and media production professionals.

We are passionate about Creative Media and are looking forward to seeing you develop your creative skills over the next few years, and your exploration of different media and communication production across different platforms.

You will be part of a supportive, friendly, and enthusiastic environment that allows your creative potential to grow, and we will work collectively to expand your multi-skilling and build your Creative Media Production portfolio in preparation for your next career steps.

Starting a new course can be a daunting experience and we want to make things as smooth as possible to help you prepare for your exciting time at university, so please carefully read the information below.

Your staff team

We want to make sure you know some of our team before you arrive. Hopefully this will help you recognise us and ensure you know who you can contact if you need any additional help and guidance.

Stephen Griffiths

Course Director

Stephen's teaching centres on broadcast programme histories and media performance, especially acting on television. His research interests include broadcast light entertainment and comedy, television drama, and children's programming.

Stephen's profile

Dr Mark Brown

Course Director

As well as being Course Leader for English and Creative Writing, Mark teaches on First Year core modules and American literature modules on Crime Fiction, the Contemporary, Modernism and Beat Writing. He also supervises MA and PhD students.

Mark's profile

Ian Whittell

Senior Lecturer

I am course leader for the BA and MA Sports Journalism Awards and also still an active national sportswriter, as founder and director of one of the country’s leading independent freelance sports editorial agencies.

Ian's profile

Course delivery

The Creative Media Production course is delivered using varied teaching and learning approaches which give you the opportunities to consider the exciting production/practical issues of the media industry. You will engage in a cycle of learning that reviews and evaluates your audio and visual production work and allows you to reflect on feedback before progressing to the next stage.

You will be completing a series of modules during your time at university. Our academic year splits into two semesters, with Semester 1 running from September to January and Semester 2 from January to May.

We have a dedicated virtual learning environment (called Blackboard Ultra) to enable you to engage with learning materials on your course and provides you with an online hub of information for each of the modules you are studying. We will offer you training and support in how to access this system at the start of your course.

The face-to-face taught sessions will include practice-based workshops in the newsroom, TV/radio/virtual production studios, individual tutorials, Academic Mentoring personal tutor meetings, small groups, and workshops. There will also be a series of technical training sessions for you to attend across the year.

We also work closely with a range of support services across the university to support students’ learning, this includes our disability service, careers service, student guidance advisors, IT support, and counselling service amongst others.

Semester one activities

Over the first few weeks, we will introduce you to the themes and concepts of your course, and you will begin with the following modules:

Film and Media Professional Development: which will introduce you to academic study and thinking about the skills needed for potential creative media career pathways.

Multimedia Writing and Presenting: will introduce the basics of creative media writing/reporting and learning how to evaluate story/content ideas and gather information necessary to reach different audiences.

Audio Production: using our Media Centre production facilities we begin to explore how the production of sound-based content in podcasting and radio can engage listening audiences in separate ways to other media.

Pre-learning

We encourage students to become active consumers of several types of creative media content before starting the course, whether listening to podcasts or viewing small screen dramas and documentaries, as well as news based social media/online outputs.

Here are some books that you may like to look at or borrow from your local library before starting the course:

The Study Skills Handbook, by Stella Cottrell, Basingstoke: Bloomsbury Academic, 2019
The Television Genre Book, edited by Glen Creeber, London: BFI/Bloomsbury Publishing, 2023
Be Well, Learn Well, by Gareth Hughes, London: Red Globe Press/Macmillan Education, 2020
Storytelling in Radio and Podcasts, by Sven Preger, London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2021
Media Production, by Amanda Willett, London: Routledge, 2021

If you have any questions or queries about the course please don’t hesitate to contact your Course Director, Stephen Griffiths, e-mail: s.c.griffiths@staffs.ac.uk

Equipment and software

As Creative Media Production student you will be able to access our Media Centre production facilities on campus with a range of software and hardware available for you to use in your creative work.

You may choose to invest in certain pieces of kit at some stage in your student career. However, we suggest that you hold-off making any decisions about further investments until you have settled into the course and know what is available to you.

Download software

Trips and activities

Throughout your time on Creative Media Production there will be opportunities for you to attend events, workshops to influence and inspire your own creative media storytelling.

Groups and societies

Wednesday afternoons are reserved for students’ union clubs and societies and include:

Staffs TV

https://www.staffsunion.com/activities/society/staffstv/

OMG Radio

https://www.staffsunion.com/activities/society/omg/

Digital Arts Society

https://www.staffsunion.com/activities/society/das/

Cosplay & Crafts

https://www.staffsunion.com/activities/society/ccs/

LGBTQ+ Network

https://www.staffsunion.com/organisation/lgbtnetwork/

Pop Culture Society

https://www.staffsunion.com/activities/society/28408/

All clubs and societies

Academic skills

Whether you're joining us from school or college, or you're returning to education after some time away, everyone can benefit from the Academic Study Skills resources provided by the University library.

The Academic Skills team is here to support you throughout your academic journey and to help you gain the skills you need to reach your full potential. They can assist with academic reading and writing skills, give advice on how best to plan assignments, and help improve your time management.

The library's Academic Skills Guides offer the key information to make studying easier and give a comprehensive guide to the learning resources and services we offer.

Staffs CampusConnect

Staffs CampusConnect is our student-led community app for new students. Connect with other people from your course, hometown or country, and even those with similar interests.

To register, please ensure you use your Applicant ID (Student Number) that you received in your offer letter, and the email address you used in your application to us.

Register for CampusConnect

Welcome website

Our welcome website will provide you the link to your new student life. It's all about how you find your place at university, including everything from how to meet friends, feel confident in doing your academic work, being a member of your Student Union and getting involved in Union Societies, Academic Societies, Sports, Volunteering or representing your peers in your School.

Part of this Welcome Week - we have an exciting program of University and course level activities planned for you for your first week in September. We are also building an extended program for you to join a series of events throughout the first half of the autumn term. Further details will be shared with you via the Welcome website and Students' Union pages over the coming weeks.

Welcome website

Campus map

Use our campus map to familiarise yourself with our campus before you arrive.

Campus map (PDF)

Check your email

Please make sure you check your personal email account regularly over the next few weeks. We will be sending you lots of information about Welcome Week.